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Ada CPA receives Public Service Award

An Ada, Okla., certified public accountant received the highest community service recognition from the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants during the organization’s annual awards ceremony on June 11. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the Annual Members Meeting at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Norman. Vicky Petete, CPA, Chief Financial Officer of Vision Bank in Ada, was chosen based on contributions she has made to her community and for her volunteer service to the Ada area. Petete began her career of volunteer service immediately upon graduating from college, and eventually concentrated her talents and gifts mostly in Ada. While volunteering for the Ada Rotary Club, Petete has been named Rotarian of the Year, received her Paul Harris Fellow, and served as president, treasurer and board member. She has also served as chairman and co-chairman of the Annual Pancake Fry, a key fundraiser of the Rotary Club, for the past 15 years. Petete has also been actively involved in the Rotary Club’s "Meals on Wheels” program that delivers food and fellowship to the elderly in the Ada area. She has also served on the Scholarship Committee and as treasurer for the Byng Excellence in Education Foundation, a third-party entity formed to develop supportive community and private sector relationships with the Byng Public School Systems that provides teachers with grants, as well as scholarships to graduating seniors. Petete has also been an active member of Trinity Baptist Church for more than 10 years. As an active member of the church, she has served on the Finance and Budget Committees, and as a greeter. Her volunteer work with East Central University includes helping the school develop a 150-hour Masters of Accounting degree. Plus, she helped develop curriculum for a master’s level class, Accounting and Regulatory Reporting. She was instrumental in bringing CPAs throughout the state into the classroom to discuss regulatory reporting for each of their respective industries. For more than 25 years, she has assisted ECU students pursuing their accounting degrees. Throughout the years, Petete has been an advisor to the Accounting Club, as well as a presenter to their meetings. However, she doesn’t just share her knowledge with ECU students. She’s presented multiple times at the OSCPA’s Do It Herself: A Journey to Financial Freedom conferences, as well as conferences hosted by Rural Enterprises Incorporated and a women’s accounting organization in Oklahoma City. Petete is also a board member of the Oklahoma Accountancy Board. "I try diligently to serve others through my job, life and career. I am very proud of being a CPA and of my profession,” Petete said.